Messages from London
Message 2: And so it begins
Cheerio from London!
The initial meeting of a tour always feels like the first day of school to me with both nerves and excitement. What will the guide and the tour members be like? What things will we see and what will I learn?
After introductions, our guide Jeanie took us on a walking tour of the area around the hotel. Mayfair is another extremely posh area, great for daydreaming of wealth, watching people and window shopping. I have never seen so many Bentleys in my life! We are just a block from Green Park and easy distance from Buckingham Palace. Will be handy when the queen invites me for tea.
After circling our temporary neighborhood we jumped on an old red double decker bus to check out other parts of town. We got stuck in traffic at times but still managed to see lots of iconic London. We were even treated to a brief rainstorm. Nothing like damp weather to make strangers into friends. Our dinner was in a pub just a block from the hotel. Thanks to a bit of wine and lots of friendly conversation I am beginning to know some of my tour mates.
Today we took a quick rush hour Tube ride to Westminster Abbey. My question from yesterday was answered; Jeanie is a great guide, knowledgeable, nice, and very personable with a dry British sense of humor. Kind of like a older sister. A bit bossy, a smidge know-it-all, and lots of love. She took us all through the enormous and lovely abbey. Tombs of important dead people everywhere. Soaring architecture and beautiful stonework.
We strolled up towards Trafalgar Square, stopping to watch the Horse Guards prance by. Who doesn't love men in fancy red capes on majestic black horses? We were a bit parched so we all stopped at a pub along the way for a cold glass of drink. I sat with a couple on the tour who live just a few miles from me. Fun to chat with them about back home.
After lunch on our own(that I chose to eat in a crypt!), we regrouped for a spin through the National Gallery. We trailed behind Jeanie through the different rooms with stops to admire some important art. The place is huge so it was great to have her narrow the works down a manageable number to admire.
Late in the afternoon a few of us broke off to go to Evensong. The choir of young people could really sing and filled the sanctuary with lovely sounds. I highly recommend Evensong if you are in England. A very peaceful, inspiring end to a busy day for me.
Martha
